1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular illumination mechanism usable for welfare vehicles having a loading and unloading mechanism that enables a wheelchair to be loaded and unloaded.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, vehicles such as private cars, taxis and buses for welfare purposes are mounted with a special loading and unloading mechanism such as a slope type loading and unloading mechanism that is storable or a lift type loading and unloading mechanism (for example, see JP-A-10-67271 and JP-A-2009-196537) in order that a person such as a physically handicapped person or an elderly person can be loaded into and unloaded from the vehicle while sitting on a wheelchair.
Moreover, in a wheelchair lifter described in JP-A-10-67271, in order to improve the night-time visibility when a platform where a wheelchair can be placed is set on the ground, an illuminating lamp that illuminates the platform is provided on a support frame that supports the platform. This illuminating lamp is connected to a lighting switching circuit, and is structured so as to be lit only when a light switch is turned to the lighting side and a back door switch is closed in response to the opening of a back door.
Moreover, in a vehicular lifting and lowering device described in JP-A-2009-196537, a flat mount where a passenger sitting on a wheelchair is placed is provided, and an illuminating device that illuminates the top of the mount is provided. Moreover, a control device is structured so as to light the illuminating device when an illumination switch is turned on and turn off the illuminating device when the illumination switch is turned off.
However, in the conventional vehicular illumination mechanisms as described above, the illumination for the loading and unloading of a wheelchair cannot be lit unless the worker appropriately operates a switch such as the light switch or the illumination switch mentioned above. For this reason, in order to perform appropriate loading and unloading in an illuminated safe environment under circumstances where surroundings are dark such as at night, it is necessary for the worker or others to reliably perform the switch operation and the burden is heavy particularly when the loading and unloading are assisted by only one worker. For example, when the loading or unloading of a person to be assisted is started, in a case where the illumination switch is situated away from the doorway, a cumbersome work is required such that after ensuring the safety of the person to be assisted, the worker moves to a place away from the person to be assisted to operate the illumination switch and returns again to the position of the person to be assisted to start the loading or unloading.
Moreover, when a person to be assisted is loaded into or unloaded from a vehicle, since it is necessary to simultaneously secure space for stopping the vehicle and sufficient space for setting a wheelchair, when the loading or unloading is performed, for example, on a road or in a public parking lot, large space on the road or the like is temporarily occupied for the work. In particular, when the person to be assisted is loaded or unloaded from a side door of the vehicle, large space is required in the direction of width of the road.
When a person to be assisted on a wheelchair is loaded or unloaded from a side door of a vehicle, there are cases where the drivers of other vehicles such as cars, motorcycles and bicycles approaching from behind the vehicle are difficult to notice that a wheelchair is being loaded or unloaded at any time of the day or night, and this can cause a dangerous situation.